Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Jeremy's Buffalo Salad

I don't really remember when it started, but at some point, my brother got really into hot and spicy foods. He started dousing his burritos in super spicy hot sauce, and ordering his food super spicy when we went out for Mexican food. I think it started when he was in high school, maybe? Anyway, it totally suits his personality because he is daring and funny and gregarious... so he is happy to rise to the challenge!

A few years back we went snowboarding in Lake Tahoe together with Mr. VE&T, me, my brother, and his oldest son. At dinner, after a long day on the slopes, my brother and my nephew ordered "super hot" buffalo wings. I'll never forget watching them turn bright red and practically sweating as they (successfully) made their way through dinner. My poor little nephew trying to keep up with my brother!

I was especially amazed because I was really not into spicy foods. Even things that were just a little spicy could do me in. I had never had a buffalo wing, and honestly I don't even think I had heard of them. It's only in the last 10 years or so that I have learned to enjoy spicy foods; when Mr VE&T were getting ready to go to India, I decided that I'd better improve my spicy-food-tolerance levels. We ate out at Mexican restaurants a lot, and I slowly added more salsa and more intense hot sauces to my dinners until I actually came to enjoy it - within limits! These days, I have come to appreciate the thrill of a spicy meal, but if it's too much, it can still really ruin the meal for me. Too much suffering!

So, when Isa recently posted a recipe for Ranch Salad with Buffalo Tempeh on the PPK blog, I knew this was my chance to finally experience the glory and horror of red-hot buffalo flavors!

Guess what, I really liked it, and Mr. VE&T loved it. He loved it so much, in fact, that I have already made it twice - at his request. It is just barely at the limits of my heat tolerance. Both times I got about 3/4 of my way through, and then relented and gave my leftovers to Mr VE&T (who was very happy). It was also my first time having Frank's Red Hot sauce, which I first read about over at The Laziest Vegans in the World. I wonder if my brother has a jar of Frank's? Either way, I think he would be pleased with my inaugural Buffalo experience!

18 comments:

Oh, I can relate! I like spicy foods, but painfully spicy stuff just isn't enjoyable at all. Frank's Red Hot sauce is quite tasty! I recently tried a Louisiana brand hot sauce made with habaneros and it made me cry tears of fire! Not fun!

I'm really glad I found your blog, your pictures are so cute! I like a bit of spice, but when I saw that buffalo tempeh recipe I discounted it as looking like it would be a bit too much! I bought a bottle of Frank's for the first time a few months ago but I just give it a few shakes over things so it's still about half full.

I can totally relate to this, I've been trying to force myself to like spicy foods for years and years. Visiting Austin helped because there was no avoiding the spice factor but my tolerance is still pretty pathetic!

Franks hot sauce has just become available at Australian supermarkets so I've been right into buffalo styled meals lately - I can't seem to get enough spice in my life. I'll have to give this recipe a try as I'm on a mission to get more tempeh into my life and I do prefer it in crumbles rather than in big slabs.

This looks amazing! I absolutely LOVE that comic of your brother dousing his foods with spice. I like mildly spicy foods but not to the point I sweat. Because then I just can't taste the food anymore. My mom eats raw Thai peppers with her foods and it's really amusing to see the tears and snot a-flowin' as she eats. She gives a whole new meaning to spicy foods "clearing up your sinuses" :-P I know that's gross but that's her when she eats her spicy foods.

Frank's is the best! I make that buffalo tempeh all the time, and it's super good with the cool slaw from AFR. They taste amazing together and it cools it down a lot. I have a high heat tolerance so I like the spice on its own, but the combo is so delicious that I don't mind it being less spicy! Totally recommended.

Way back I always ordered everything mild. Always mild just like mom. My dad has always been a hotter the better, but we stayed away from his habaneros!

Then my best friends for many years started inviting us over for dinner and slowly but surely, I started to develop the palette for it. No I do try to keep it from being so hot that it takes away from the other flavors, but I really enjoy that extra dimension in food.

My Dad loves spicy food, he's totally like your brother. I grew up with that and love spicy stuff myself. We have a US/UK store here that sells Frank's Hot Sauce. When I first tried it I was so disappointed as it is not hot at all to me. We usually empty the bottle within a week:) I need to try that salad!

I only recently started getting into spicy foods over the past years, and it started because of cookbook testing of all things! Franks and Sriracha are my two favorite condiments now :)I do have my limits though, can't really enjoy food when you can't even taste it.

I also got really into spicy food in high school. Then in college I would get so stressed out by classes that I developed acidosis and that put an end to my spicy ways. I think I might have been financially supporting the Maalox brand for a few years there. Now I'm working my way back up to my old levels but it's taking a long time! :P